mpdickens wrote:
> Epoxy has got to have heat to
> cure.
Then how do you explain when mixing a < 1 gram of epoxy on the
surface of a heavy steel plate that is at room temperature (15 ~
30°C) and it still cures relatively ok ? Any exothermic reaction
will have nil effect in this situation.
There is a lot of info on epoxy here.
http://www.dow.com/epoxy/tech/index.htmAccording to the document titled "DOW Liquid Epoxy Resins" it is
the type of curing agent which determines the temperature and
rate of cure. The aliphatic amines are the relatively fast room
temperature type. There are others which require curing at
elevated temperatures, which sounds like the type you once worked
with. From what I gather from the document, the curing agents
that need more heat and time give you a better cured epoxy resin,
i.e. higher service temperature and more resistant to chemicals
and solvents.